Anderson County housing is booming — here are the top areas for growth

A sign declaring a lot with home to be built as sold, D.R. Horton company builds homes in the Rogers Knoll subdivision in October. The homes are in the Anderson School District 1 area, a half mile from I-85, off of Rogers Road in Pelzer. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

When Jonathan Walker and his wife decided to buy a home, they soon realized they'd need to act fast if they saw something they liked.

The Walkers, who were renting in Charleston up until last spring, wanted to move back to the Upstate to be closer to family. After searching all summer, they snatched up a spacious home with a yard in Anderson the same the day it came on the market.

"I saw it online Friday and sent it to my wife. She thought I was kidding, but I was being serious," Walker said.

The Walkers are among the many families who are opting to buy in Anderson County, drawn by the extra space and small-town feel of its communities, real estate agents say. With Greenville County now the second-hottest real estate market in the state, according to the latest quarterly report from the National Association of Realtors, Anderson offers a more affordable and less competitive alternative for many buyers.

Getting in on the market

That's not to say all parts of Anderson are equally affordable. The county is a seller's market right now, real estate agents note, and it's not uncommon for a home to get several bids, sometimes above asking price, especially in the Powdersville area on the border of Greenville County.

Particularly in demand are homes in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. While Anderson County homes generally spend between 70 to 80 days on the market, according to quarterly data from the NAR, that can drop to an average of 48 days in some areas.

"Things are moving pretty quick, which is wonderful for someone who's selling, but on the flip side, if you need to buy in that price range, it can be very stressful," said Luanne Jones, an agent with Coldwell Banker Hugh Durham & Associates.

Data shows the number of single and multi family dwellings completed in Greenville and Anderson Counties since 2009. Does not include major cities.(Photo: Greenville County & Anderson County)

Responding to demand

Many communities in Anderson are small and tight-knit, with deep roots in agriculture. But some of that is giving way to a wave of suburbanization as housing demand rises and jobs move to the area and nearby Greenville — 30 percent of the county's residents work in other counties, according to a 2016 comprehensive plan.

Jobs are so plentiful for residents that Anderson County's unemployment rate is slightly better the national average. In August, Anderson County reported a 3.4 percent unemployment rate, just above Greenville County, which reported 3.1 percent unemployment. The national rate was 3.9 percent.

Construction workers build homes in the Pennington Farms subdivision near S.C. 81 North in Anderson. The Freedom Homes houses are advertised as new homes from the $200s. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

In recent years, the increase in residents has led to an uptick in subdivisions — many of them moderately sized, with less than 50 lots, others with nearly 150 lots. Somewhat paradoxically, the number of farms in the county has also increased, but they tend to be smaller compared with older ones, according to Anderson County Planning and Development Director Jeff Parkey.

"It's suburbanizing quickly (but) there are areas that do remain more rural, pastoral, you could say," Parkey said. "I think a lot of folks who live out here feel the quality of life is quite good. They have access to the interstate, and it's easy to get to Greenville, which is important for work and recreation."

And there's no sign growth is slowing. The county typically sees a 1 percent increase overall in population each year, which can be even larger in some areas.

Housing permits have risen in the county every year since 2009, when they were first tracked. The city of Anderson has also seen big spikes in the last year. Home permits in Anderson are up more than 77 percent year-to-date. Completed homes in nearby Clemson are up 280 percent, records show.

Now, the county is undertaking a multimillion dollar sewer infrastructure expansion along State 24 and State 187 North to encourage more growth in coming years.

"I think when those sewer lines go out there, that will increase potential for businesses. We're already seeing some of that — developments — because of the sewer line coming," said Tommy Dunn, Anderson County Council chairman. A construction company office and improvements to Pendleton High School have already begun near State 187.

Housing demand has also raised home prices in Anderson, though they remain well below Greenville's. Most recent reports by local realtors associations show the median sales price of a home in the western Upstate region is $172,500. In Greenville, it's $208,900.

Construction workers build homes in the Pennington Farms subdivision near S.C. 81 North in Anderson. The Freedom Homes houses are advertised as new homes from the $200s. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

What it looks like

Single-family homes dominate the new construction market, and developers are making maximum use of space by creating denser developments, Dunn said.

The decision makes sense financially, he said.

"You try to maximize the most houses on a piece of property as you can, which I don't necessarily think is a good thing, but that's the way it is because it costs so much to develop right now," Dunn said.

Much of the county also isn't zoned — roughly 25-30 percent of land is tied to some specific use and density, Parkey said. That means for most of the county, there's less control over how land is developed.

"For the parts of the county that are not zoned, there are still base-level land development regulations in place, but controls related to use and density do not apply," Parkey said.

County officials have pushed recently to vet development proposals using additional factors, such as a development's impact on public health, the local tax base and infrastructure. The County Council would have to approve those additional criteria.

Construction workers build homes in the Pennington Farms subdivision near S.C. 81 North in Anderson. The Freedom Homes houses are advertised as new homes from the $200s. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

Where are the hot spots?

There are some areas — particularly Powdersville and northern parts of the county — where the population has grown three times faster than the rest of the county. County Administrator Rusty Burns points to the quality of schools in that area as a major draw for families.

District One Superintendent Robbie Binnicker has seen that growth firsthand. Each year the district's student population, currently around 10,000 students, grows by about 100 to 250 students. He said the school district's performance on state tests and support from the community set it apart.

"We've been told by (real estate) agents that if they have a piece of property in Anderson One that it sells quicker. If it's in the district, they always try to put that in the ad," Binnicker said.

Primed for more growth

County leaders said they expect to see more growth in the coming years in the following areas:

► Powdersville and surrounding area

Powdersville is expected to remain one of the fastest-growing parts of Anderson County. State 153, which runs though the area, is experiencing a surge in commercial growth that's coincided with an increase in residents.

The average price of a home in the Powdersville area was $284,000 in September, up nearly 20 percent from a year ago, according to Redfin.

"I think you'll start seeing growth in the Wren area and Three and Twenty up that way, they'll get some overflow from Powdersville," Dunn said.

Construction workers build homes in the Pennington Farms subdivision near S.C. 81 North in Anderson. The Freedom Homes houses are advertised as new homes from the $200s. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

► Clemson

Just over the border in Pickens County, new construction in Clemson boomed this year, with 228 new single-family homes built since January. Compare that with the 60 homes completed at this same time last year.

There haven't been any multifamily projects completed this year so far. Last year there were 17.

The city issued 1,000 certificate of occupancy permits for student rental bedrooms in August. Last year there were 2,000.

Todd Steadman, the city of Clemson's director of planning and codes, said development interest is usually highest for downtown and areas close to the Clemson University campus. This year, it's "all over the place," he said.

► City of Anderson

Anderson is undergoing a growth spurt, with 112 new residential permits approved so far this year. Last year at this time, the city had approved 63. It's also preparing to annex 3.5 acres of land on East Calhoun Street into the city limits, where developers plan to build 14 new homes.

Other projects are dispersed through the city, as developers tackle infill lots that haven't been improved yet and small subdivision projects. Dunn says he's expecting to see growth in downtown Anderson businesses, too, as commercial interest follows home growth.

► State 24 and State 187 corridors

Dunn said sewer lines will be extended along State 187 North as well as State 24 to encourage more commercial growth in those areas.

He said the areas were chosen for their proximity to the interstate and airport.

► Interstate 85

Parkey also expects to see more growth along Interstate 85 as commercial projects pick up steam.

"We expect the TTI expansion at exit 27 on I-85 to bring considerable development to that vicinity in the coming years," Parkey said. "Likewise for the Arthrex campus in Sandy Springs, and its possible synergy with the nearby Clemson Research Park/possible future development at exit 14 on I-85."

► Pendleton

Pendleton has grown through annexation in recent years and currently has a relatively large housing development underway, Parkey said.